Positive affect in young children's multiliteracies learning endeavors

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the processes and conditions for the emergence of positive affect during children’s multiliteracies learning endeavours in a Finnish pre-primary school which culminated in an exhibition at a local library. It identifies three thematic categories of activity which correlated strongly with positive, affective outcomes, namely: making and producing, sharing experiences and sustaining interest. The chapter demonstrates how positive affect is evoked when children are afforded opportunities to create, make, and share different texts and interests in the course of their multimodal, multisensory and playful activities, developing skills and dispositions of competence, relatedness and agency. Introduction According to the World Happiness Report (2018), Finland is the happiest country in the world. Finland is also ranked as the world’s most literate nation with active use of public libraries (Miller & McKenna, 2016). So why are we dedicating this chapter to considering enjoyment in children’s literacy learning in a Finnish classroom? Aren’t children in Finland already happy and well supported to become literate? In the midst of flattering international news about the Finnish nation and its universal public services and accomplishments, there is a growing concern in Finland about children’s and young people’s declining interest in print-based literacy, as well as the widening variation in young people’s reading habits and multiliteracies skills (Mullis et al., 2017; PIRLS, 2016, see also the Introduction to this volume). To tackle these challenges, a National Literacy Forum